Week 7 of my marathon training: Learning from the mistakes of my first 20-miler

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Michigan — One of the hardest things about training for a marathon has nothing to do with the effort it takes to log the miles and reach certain times in your tempo and speed work.

Khan

Finding the time to do the proper training is one of the biggest hurdles people face in preparing for a 26.2-mile race.

I'm pretty fortunate that I don't have a 9-to-5 job, so I'm able to train most mornings, then go about my business the rest of the day.

Through the first 27 runs in my training schedule for the Bayshore Marathon on May 23, I never had to miss or postpone a run. Circumstances caused me to do my first 20-mile run later in the day than I wanted on March 14, but I still got in that run on a Saturday, my usual long-run day.

Week 7 of the 16-week program for my first marathon presented the first disruption of my regular schedule, thanks to the New Lothrop girls' basketball team.

The Hornets qualified for — and won — the state Class D championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday. I usually meet Drew Williams of Grand Blanc at 8:30 a.m. Saturdays for my long run.

On top of that, Hamady qualified for — and won — the state Class C title in a 4 p.m. game. From the time I left the house Saturday morning until I returned home at night, it was a 14-hour day.

So, unless I was willing to run at 5 a.m. or 10:30 p.m., I wasn't going to get in my planned 20-mile run.

I knew after Thursday's semifinals what my Saturday schedule would be, so my choice was to do the long run Friday or Sunday. I felt tired after a nine-mile run Thursday, so I didn't want to come back with a 20-miler the next day.

If all I missed was one of my easy shorter runs, it would have been no big deal. I would have just written off the run and moved on to the next workout on the agenda.

However, long runs are the backbone of a marathon training program. Plus, I really wanted to jump back on the 20-mile horse after struggling during the final six miles of my first 20-miler eight days earlier.

It was about 38 degrees when I left Genesys Athletic Club at 8:45 a.m. Sunday for a solo 20-miler. I rarely run outside if it gets much colder than that, being a wimp and all.

I had hoped to run into some people who might also be doing a long run, because 20s are really tough to do alone. A group left earlier and I crossed paths with them about three or four miles into my run, but they were heading back and I was going out.

The two biggest mistakes I made during my first 20-mile run were starting out too fast and bringing only one energy gel. I packed two this time, taking one at eight miles and the other at 14.

Worked like a charm.

While my legs were feeling pretty spent by the end of the run, my wind and energy level felt strong. I could have run another mile or two fairly easily if necessary, but I worked out the course perfectly so that I hit 20 miles only a couple hundred yards from the entrance to the gym.

The other key to making the run more bearable was keeping the pace under control. My first three miles in my first 20-miler took 23:59. My first three miles Sunday took 25:11.

Whenever I felt the urge to pick up the pace, I told myself, "Just relax ... relax ... relax." I told myself to "relax" so much that I stopped relaxing and wanted to tell myself, "Just shut up, will ya?"

Now I know what it's like for other people to run with me. No wonder Drew wears headphones when we run.

Eventually, I settled into one of those "I can run like this forever" paces. I spent more time on the dirt roads and hills, so I had to run the Genesys trails only once, instead of twice like the last time.

My total time was 2 hours, 47 minutes, 14 seconds, a pace of 8:21 per mile. That was only six seconds a mile slower than the previous run, but that and the extra gel seemed to make all the difference in the world. My two fastest miles were miles 18 (8:05) and 20 (7:57). The previous week, my second (7:56) and third (7:57) miles were my fastest, with my final mile being an 8:39.

Afterward, I felt totally alive as I went into the gym to perform the usual leg maintenance — stretch, cold plunge, hot tub. This is an essential part of my workout regimen to help me reach goal No. 1 — arrive at the start line healthy.

Here's how the rest of the week went:

Monday, March 16

I hooked up with long-time training partner Bill Robson of Grand Blanc for the first time since Thanksgiving weekend to run eight miles from the University of Michigan-Flint, through the Pierce Park neighborhood, out to Davison Road and back.

This was my slowest run in a long time, a 9:19 pace for a run that took 1 hour, 14 minutes and 43 seconds.

Neither of us minded one bit. It was a good time to catch up on things. Plus, we both had hard efforts two days earlier, Bill running the Shillelagh four-mile race and me running my first 20.

For once, my easy run was indeed easy, not just less hard.

Tuesday, March 17

As I was getting loose for a seven-mile tempo run on the Genesys indoor track, Val Silas came by and told me that her and some other employees at the club have been reading my running blog.

It's good to know that someone other than my sister and Drew read this blog. My sister needs the break from Facebook and Drew wants to make sure I don't slander him too badly. Knowing there are some readers out there emphasized to me how these regular updates help to keep me accountable. There's no way I want to post something like, "Didn't feel like running today. Sat on the couch and devoured a bag of chips."

That sense of accountability may have helped me get through a difficult workout. I did a six-mile tempo run two weeks ago, but usually never go longer than five. This was new territory.

My six-mile tempo run was around 6:35 pace. I figured I would be happy to be 6:40 to 6:45 today. After going 6:41.92, 6:43.85, 6:44.22, I seemed to get a boost by getting to the halfway point and went 6:38.18, 6:38.25, 6:33.85, 6:31.20 the rest of the way.

It was one of those "why am I doing this?" days that really test you. When you can complete one of your tough workouts, there's a great sense of accomplishment. Plus, you know what you're capable of the next time you do the same workout.

Wednesday, March 18

I did about 50 minutes of spinning for cross-training. There seemed to be more hills in this workout, so the total mileage was only 17.7. It's usually closer to 20.

Thursday, March 19

Sometimes, it's OK to just cut a run short.

I wanted to run 10 miles today, but after having some company for the first 3.5 miles, I felt really flat. My legs felt stiff, my energy level wasn't there.

I thought about stopping at eight, then just compromised and ran nine, gradually slowing down from a 7:38 third mile to 8:02 by the end. The total time was 1 hour, 10 minutes, 37 seconds.

I never like to bag a workout or a long run, but I have less problem cutting back on an easy run. I might have felt like I was being a wimp in the past, but today it just seemed like the smart thing to do.

Friday, March 20

I forgot to sign up early for spinning, so I got one of the old-school Schwinns instead of the nicer Keisers they have at Genesys.

You have to guess the right resistance on the Schwinns, since you don't have a meter that shows mileage, time and level of resistance like on the Keisers. It seemed like I guessed too high and was fighting the bike more than usual. I'd rather do that than take it easy.

It was 45 minutes, but pretty intense.

I continue to talk with any runner who cares to listen about the virtues of spinning. Hopefully, I'll see some of my running friends in a class soon.

Jay Owens told me at Shillelagh that his wife, Lisa Veneziano, runs such incredible times in her 40s on a modest 30 miles a week because she does so much cross-training on the bike.